The New Trainer
by Jak Spades
Summary: Unlike her father at her age, Kairi Oak has no intentions on becoming a Pokémon Trainer. She is comfortable working as an assistant at his lab. Will an infamous kid's arrival at their doorstep, looking for his first Pokémon change her mind?
1. Endless Delays

Disclaimer: I don't own any parts of the Pokémon franchise. All copyrighted materials belong to their appropriate owners. This is a non-profitable story, written purely for entertainment.

* * *

**The New Trainer**

_Fan Fiction by Stylust_

* * *

  
Chapter 1 – Endless Delays 

The morning sun had settled high up in its throne. A stubborn movement of grey clouds hindered the warm effect of the golden beams over the slowly waking town. Rain had poured and thunder had struck the small civilisation throughout the course of the previous night, tiring out only later in the day's early hours. The violent storm was a stranger to Pallet Town and the people could be happy it had died down. Older residents would probably read it as an omen while the youth would simply dismiss it as an unfortunate night.

An alarm clock sang its pleasant tune in one bedroom of the Oak dwelling. Kairi joined in, mirroring the melody with her own hums before dancing over to her study desk to gently put it off. A smile played on her face. Despite always beating the clock to the punch, she never considered disabling its alarm. Most people used it to help them rise but, to her, the tune was a fine harmony that greeted her vibrant form every morning. There was no way she could get rid of something like that.

Indigo curtains, dotted with mini starmie models, were delicately pulled askew. The image of a damp village, boasting a handful of small townhouses, shone dimly through the open pane. She placed her elbows on the windowsill and rested her chin in her hands. Fingers tapped happily on her cheeks.

Pallet Town's scenery was admirable. The oval boundary of brick-laid houses encircled a spotless, green meadow. Silvery sparkles of water glistened at the tops of wet grass. Once rain settled, it always had a way of leaving nature a fresh shine. It was a beauty Kairi wished to wholly immerse herself in.

She wondered if it smelt as wonderful as it looked. Delighted with the prospect, she worked at the window's handlebars and soon had it pushed open. A chilly breeze greeted her face, taking the tips of auburn hair hovering above her shoulders by surprise. It carried a mixture of spring, and the cool scent of the downpour's aftermath.

Slowly, a wide beam of sunlight faded into view, falling diagonally from the skies as it spread about a patch of grass. Kairi was sure this promise of a warmer day would settle well with all the arriving trainers.

She wondered how large the outcome would be this month. The previous month's Trainer Day brought an unexpected number of new trainers looking for their first pokémon. Luckily for Kairi and her father, and for the trainers, they had caught just enough extras not to disappoint any paying customers. Some of the kids were forced to accept spearow or rattata, as oppose to the three standard starters their lab usually offered. At least no kid had left empty-handed. That's what mattered most.

Kairi let out a short gasp. She sprang to her feet, suddenly recalling a favour her father asked of her. A quick glance at her alarm clock revealed the time she had left. It was a few minutes before six; the lab was scheduled to open for trainers at nine.

"Okay, I can do this," she murmured, reassuring herself with nods. Why'd she have to work at the last minute when it came to these things? She scolded herself throughout her scurry to the shower. Her pyjamas were tossed aside to a shabby heap without thought as she stepped bare beneath the showerhead. With a twist of the tap, water came rushing down as if it had known of her urgency.

She had three hours, which should've been more than enough if she approached things smartly this time 'round. It wasn't her father's anger or yelling she feared, since, given even her most aggravating mistakes, he rarely ever did that. He did something a lot worse.

He'd get disappointed in her.

Unlike anger, an emotion often expressed with heated words that carried lessened meaning due to the very state of being angry, disappointment could be felt and expressed with a calm mind. It just seemed too … calculated. Fits of anger came and went, bringing then taking their sentence; while disappointment lingered on until she felt satisfied she proved her reliability once more. Anger would poke at her heart; disappointment would assume a burning grip she'd have to work to undo.

There was a question that always rested at the back of her mind. She heard countless tales and recollections of her father's passion for training during the bulk of his teen years. All his trophies and badges were treasured in a glass display he kept at the back of his bedroom. Not even the fact that he never defeated any region champion in his lifetime could take away from his accomplishments. Yet, here she was, twelve year-old Kairi, daughter and first child of Gary Oak, and virtually more entertained by watching statues at work than by anything pokémon battles had to offer. Could her father's laid-back attitude towards her priorities really be true? Or did he secretly wish she could be more like he was at her age?

… Could it be possible he was disappointed she wasn't?

The fast beat of crashing water returned to her senses. Her right hand resumed its trek over her soaked body. A trail of soap suds followed the washcloth scrubbing her clean. She quickened her pace, realising the shower was taking longer than she could afford. Several scrubs and rinses later, she stepped out and dried her fresh form with a towel she kept hung nearby. The mirror fixed above the sink came in handy at times like this, when she needed to inspect her face after a good shower.

A pale complexion glowed faintly about her young face. Everybody told her she looked young, maybe even for her age, and at that very moment she had to admit she could see their point. Her cheeks rested inertly save for the occasion of a smile, at which they'd puff up a little. Cute dimples formed at the corner of cherry lips. At the risk of seeming arrogant, she would be the first to confess the love she had for her own smile. Thankfully for the world, she was the type of person who loved sharing it.

She snatched the toothbrush resting on the sink and a tub of complementing toothpaste. Her mother would freak if she saw how quickly she was brushing her teeth. She couldn't help it if time was against her. Once she completed the morning ritual, she re-entered her bedroom.

The purple towel wrapped around her body dropped to the carpet and was swiftly replaced with casual wear, in this case, her light-pink skirt. A silver zip trailed down the torso area of her dress, revealing the bust-hugging, white tee she wore underneath. Thin black straps clung tightly over her shoulders, holding the mid-calf skirt firmly in place. She put on a pair of white runners before sliding down the stair-railing to get to the front door.

"And where do you think you're going?"

The feminine voice was calm and soft but abrupt enough to stop her in mid-run. Her head dipped in frustration of being delayed once more. She turned to face her mother, sure to wear an innocent smile. "Hi, mom!" She chimed, as if all was right as rain.

"Morning, honey." The reply came less animated. "You're up awfully early this morning."

Kairi thought the same thing about her. It wasn't unusual for her mother to rise before her on a school morning but, seeing as it wasn't, Kairi believed the hardworking woman more than deserved to sleep in. She knew her father would agree with her there. Their mutual sympathy was no match for Miss Gary Oak's stubbornness however. "Come on, mom." She rolled her eyes. "I'll help you back to bed."

"Oh, don't be silly."

Kairi began to approach her, only to be shooed away by the same hand gestures her mom would use to dismiss a disobedient poochyena. She had always admired her parents for their liveliness. Retirement of any kind was as far from their minds as a cunning thief would be from a crime scene. It's as if they strived to be their young selves forever and ever; trying to escape the shadows that were the aging process. Not that she could blame them. Nobody that she knew, including herself, looked forward to growing old. For the sake of her unborn brother however, stirring in the warm home mother provided, it was best if the woman took it easy for at least the next four months.

"But mom," she nagged. "You know it's best for you to get more sleep." Cautious arms carefully wrapped around her mother's waist. She gently pressed an ear on her nurturing tummy. After a few silent moments of listening, she decided she heard something. "See, even the baby agrees with me!"

Her daughter's cheerful attitude brought a smile to her face. She could hardly remember being that cheerful about anything at that age. Then again, being the youngest daughter in her family, she had never experienced any of her mother's pregnancies. Her hand smoothly traced down the shoulder-length, auburn tendrils of her first child. If there was any physical attribute Kairi possessed that proved she was her daughter, it had to be those sparkling, ocean-blue eyes. Bright and beautiful, just like hers. "Alright, I'll make a deal with you."

"…Hm?" Kairi was half-lost in the embrace.

"If you have yourself a good breakfast before heading out to take care of your last minute errands, then the baby and I…", she sighed. "Though I don't feel we need to, will get a few more hours of rest."

Thin eyebrows jumped up in brief shock. _How does she know that I haven't done it yet…?_ She quickly replaced the expression with something a lot more subtle. "Deal!" She smiled.

Her mother returned the smile. She patted her own short, tidy red hair. It made her look more sophisticated than the unruly, spiky mess she had kept as a trainer, Kairi thought. She lowered her head to better suit Kairi's five-foot-two height and gave her a peck on the cheek before treading back upstairs to her chambers.

Kairi waited until she had disappeared from view. The familiar creak of the bedroom door confirmed her location. Once Kairi heard the door shut, she grabbed an apple from the refrigerator and rushed right out the front door. "She didn't say it had to be a full breakfast. Just a _good_ one!" She told herself. Apples were good.

She hopped over the three steps of the wooden porch. Another quick glance at her wristwatch revealed that it was 6:43. From three hours to practically two and a quarter! She had to get moving and enjoy the snack on the way. Pearly whites bit into the delicate flesh of the red fruit.

"Aha! Looky here girls! Why, if it isn't our favourite little niece!"

The voice struck Kairi with a regretful familiarity. As she stood frozen in place, she assessed her options. To some degree, greeting them extremely briefly and then running to tend to her business right afterwards seemed like the logical thing to do. Not only would it save her time, but it would also spare her the idle banter she knew these three aunties of her were experts of. Why couldn't they understand that she just wasn't interested in all this fashion and beauty stuff? Any chance she had of escaping however, were ruined by her slow thinking. She swallowed the bits of apple just in time to hear aunt Violet speak again.

"How are you, Kairi? My, you've grown! Why, I remember when you and your favourite cousin, Rose, were still crawling about in pampers! You were so cute, fighting over the same toys!" The beam that stretched across the purple-haired woman was full of distant memories. Her eyes shut for a brief moment as if to better help her visualise the events replaying in her mind. All three of the aunts sighed simultaneously. "Those were fine days, dear. Like, now you're all grown up." She smiled. "Move over toys, time for the boys!"

Kairi discarded the 'hi' sitting on her lips that had been waiting for the opportunity to be spoken. Since when was Rose her favourite cousin? And Kairi was only twelve, not even a teen yet! The way her aunts went on about it made her feel so old. Now she knew what her parents felt like. As for the boys comment, she really had no response for that.

"Anyway," aunt Daisy started in that exaggerated cheerful tone of hers. When she thought about it, Kairi couldn't remember one instance in which the woman frowned or didn't sound excited about something. "We're here to, like, see mommy!"

"Yeah, we haven't seen Misty, or visited you guys, in like forever," Aunt Lily added.

If only _forever_ was true, Kairi thought. That's how she felt sometimes. "Yeah, she's here. I asked her to go back upstairs and get more rest because that would be best for her and the baby. If you hurry, maybe you can catch her before she falls asleep!" Her attempt to sound less happy about sending them on their way didn't work so well. Nevertheless, her aunts probably thought she was excited about something else.

"Awww!" The three of them recited together. "Misty should very proud to have a daughter like you!" Violet continued. "That's so sweet, taking care of her like that! Like, I can already tell you're going to be a totally good mother! Gary must have his hands full with two women in the home." She giggled. "Anyway, you can leave your mother to us for now. Run along!"

Each aunt took a turn to pat Kairi on the head before walking up to the front door. As the other aunts entered the home, Lily turned back to her. "Look after Kairi for us, won't you, Rose? And, you play nice Kairi!" She disappeared into the house.

The thirteen year old Rose became visible now that the wall of aunts that had blocked her from view departed. She stood an inch taller than Kairi, clad in a sky-blue skirt touching her knees and a long-sleeved, white sweater. High-heeled, white boots elevated her height a tad. Atop her pink hair sat a brown, cowboy hat, slightly tipped towards the back of her neck so that no facial features were hindered from view. Her eyes were a different shade of blue, almost lavender.

The two girls eyed each other silently for minutes. Kairi would never forget the smug look that stuck to girl's face like dirt would to the inner walls of a bathtub. It was a look that needed to be washed away, permanently; she wanted to be one to do it. "What's with your mom telling you to look after me!?" Firstly, being a baby herself, Rose was in no position to be babysitting anyone and secondly, she didn't need to be babied in the first place!

"Relax, Kairi. It was only a joke," Rose stated calmly.

"Huh?" It was uncharacteristic of Rose to use a civilized tone whenever she spoke to her. Even scarier, she smiled at her. Kairi blinked. Why was she being so nice? It took her by surprise, making the resentment she preserved for her cousin seem pointless. For the moment, Kairi couldn't even remember why she was mad at her. Her creased brow relaxed and her facial expression calmed. She set aside her suspicions for later. "Whatever. Why are you guys here anyway?"

"Careful. You almost sound disappointed to see family." The more she spoke, the more doubt built in Kairi about her attitude. "We know that today is the month's Trainer Day in Pallet. With your mom being pregnant and all, my mom, aunt Violet and aunt Daisy thought we could lessen the workload by helping you guys out with all the day's activities. We heard about how hectic the turnout was last month. In addition to that, the other reason we're here is to visit family. Is there a problem with that?"

"No, no. No problem," Kairi shot back quickly. "Just… hrm, never mind. Well, if you're here to help then let's get moving already! Follow me."

She ran across the wet meadow, leading the way to the lab. Rose followed two steps behind her.

**.: End Of Chapter :.**


	2. In The Hizzo

Disclaimer: I don't own any parts of the Pokémon franchise. All copyrighted materials belong to their appropriate owners. This is a non-profitable story, written purely for entertainment.

Author's Notes: Just like to take a quick moment to thank KCDizzyDisney, vonhelvete, xXxLuna-the-ChosenxXx and Krafty Quill for the reviews. Appreciate it.

* * *

**The New Trainer**

_Fan Fiction by Wronaco (a.k.a Jay Stylust)_

* * *

  
Chapter 2 – In The Hizzo 

The tall, black gate slid on its squeaky wheels before coming to a loud shut. Kairi secured the padlock that kept the gate a firm obstacle for intruders. After an eye-opening break-in, the Oaks were encouraged to uphold security measures. This new wave of caution turned out exceptionally successful thus far.

"Come on," Kairi prompted her cousin.

The lab sat at the far end of the rectangular enclosure. Brick walls stood an incredible five metres above ground, harvesting thousands of spiky projections that guarded every inch of the summit against trying hands. Parallel wires circled the top of the walls as well. In addition to the electric current flowing through them, a silent alarm would trigger at the slightest touch.

Kairi led them down the wide, stony path. Parts of the brick tiles were still drenched in rain water. The grass on the outer sides seemed to have recovered beautifully nonetheless. She smiled at the heavens. The clouds continued to shift out of the sun's path. Time had reached seven, and the spasms of sunlight shone more frequently.

Rose took backseat to her cousin as the pair arrived at the Pokémon Lab's doorstep. Out of respect for privacy, she turned a blind eye to the alarm-disabling sequence Kairi punched in on the security panel beside the door. In a feminine, computerized voice, the system then prompted the visitors for fingerprint confirmation, to which the Oak provided. The final stage of authorization both surprised and impressed Rose. She thought high-tech, retina scanners only existed in the movies.

"Why is this place so heavily guarded?" The front door slid aside, setting free a clear entrance for the approved guests. She stepped in after Kairi. "It's not like you guys are harbouring Legendaries in here, are you? Who would want to break into a Pokémon Lab anyway?"

"Well, hopefully nobody, after having a taste of this security." A proud smirk marvelled at the security cameras stationed about the ceiling. "In the past, we've had thieves, poachers, crazy trainers, Rockets – you name it, we had 'em. Hehe, that's all just a bad memory now!"

"I'd say," Rose smiled. "Not even a cockroach could sneak into this place."

"I wouldn't go that far. One way or another you did manage to get in here after all." Kairi turned around, half-expecting her surprise attack to be countered. To her discomfort, all Rose did was sigh. Why wouldn't she give up the goody-goody act? Deep down, Kairi knew Rose disliked her just the same. "You're not acting yourself. Why?" She cocked an eyebrow curiously.

Rose sighed. She crossed her arms above her chest, and looked deep into Kairi's blue orbs. "Because, Kairi… I'm thirteen. And you're months away from being a teen too! I don't know about you but I think it's time I stopped being petty. Let's leave that to the real roaches, hm?" She walked passed her, patting her on the shoulder. "Now, why don't you show your favourite cousin around?"

_Nope. Still an act,_ Kairi decided. It couldn't go on forever; not with Rose's short temper. She had to admit, she was impressed at how composed her cousin behaved thus far. Never had Kairi anticipated calling her a cockroach to be such an unfulfilling event. She lingered in position, watching the first timer cautiously explore the interior.

The extent of the lab's tidiness intimidated Kairi to a certain degree. Hesitance loomed in her ocean-blue eyes, bidding them strangers to the unusual orderliness of the building. Square marble tiles provided the entire floor's navy shine. She could tell that somebody had done some major polishing the night before. It would be a pity for anyone to ruin all that hard work. White sneakers treaded carefully, trying best not to offend the spotless floor but it was too late; it had been too late since their first steps into the lab.

Behind her heels, an insolent set of footprints trailed back to the entrance alongside Rose's own. Kairi sighed at the added work she had just created for herself. All that would have to come after she completed the main task at hand.

In her approach to Rose, Kairi walked passed the well-organized, though rarely organized, workstations. She smirked. It was a good thing that the other aides were encouraged to better manage themselves for Trainer Day but also sad in a way that it took a special event to get them to do it.

Folded open in her cousin's hands, was a book too thick to ever draw in Kairi's free time. "What's that you're looking at?" she asked, curiously peering over her shoulder.

"An encyclopaedia for all fire pokémon discovered to date," Rose replied knowledgably, flipping the page. These types of things usually never interested her. The lab's stuffy air must've had something to do with this new found curiosity. On the other hand, there was also the fact that between friends and social gatherings, she'd never been motivated to seek company in the form of a book. "I thought you'd know that already, seeing as you hang around here a lot more than I do."

"Ha! Doesn't mean I read the books." The very thought of it was laughable. In actuality, Kairi was more a field worker than an indoor lab assistant. "Besides, I couldn't read that even if I wanted to."

"Why? Like, are there not enough pictures?"

She'd gotten so used to the new Rose that the question didn't seem insulting in the least. "More like, not enough normal people's English. I swear, science is like a language on its own. Just when you think you're starting to understand it, you come across words like 'intermolecular condensation'."

Rose chuckled. She had to admit, she couldn't understand half the words she was reading there. Skipping them or guessing their meanings could only work for so long. She shut the volume and squeezed it back into the empty space between two books it had come from. "That's a shame. Your dad wrote that book. It could be like, his greatest creation ever. But his daughter wouldn't know since she couldn't, like, read it."

"Nah," Kairi shrugged. "Actually, his **daughter** is his greatest creation ever!"

"He must not have created a lot of great things then," she said jokingly.

The old Rose, the real Rose, was slowly starting to show herself once again, Kairi thought. Never had her cousin passed an opportunity to make fun of her, and never had Kairi failed to provide a comeback. They could go back and forth until Trainer Day was over. Being the bigger girl, Kairi decided to end it there. Perhaps after they'd finished with their work they could continue their senseless quarrelling. "Anyway, we better get started now. The trainers will be here in less than two hours!"

"Yes ma'am!" Rose winked. She pinched the cowboy hat off her head and settled it on a clear study desk nearby. Short, tidy hair stood out against the laboratory's dull colours with its dazzling pink shade. She rolled up her long white sleeves, as if preparing to work with something really messy. "What exactly do we have to do anyway?"

Kairi's cherry dress had no sleeves to worry about. Not that the girls were in danger of getting dirty either way. "All we have to do is polish all the pokéballs and make sure all the starter pokémon are fed. Wouldn't want to give new trainers hunger struck pokémon now would we? Oh yeah! And we should clean up the little mess we made when we came in here too."

Within the next minute, the two teens were hard at work trying to make the day more presentable for the coming trainers. Rose strategically offered to do the polishing job, anticipating how the unpredictability of trying to feed hundreds of pokémon could lead to stress. True enough, it wasn't long before a hyperactive charmander stepped up to challenge Kairi's patience. From table dancing to book shuffling, it made an absolute obstacle course out of the unfortunate laboratory. Rose thought of interjecting but after she witnessed the little imp spew tiny embers in a naïve, playful manner, she decided it was best to let Kairi handle the situation; maybe not but best for Kairi, but best for her. She'd rather be a coward with fair skin than a hero with burnt hair.

Not even those chubby little legs could last forever. The charmander finally started to show signs of fatigue, panting breathlessly as it lay back first on the floor. Kairi seized the opportunity to recapture the pokémon. After finding a small leash to keep it still, she let it out once more in the basement den where all the other starters were enjoying their breakfast. It was too tired from all the havoc it had unleashed to do anything but eat from its bowl.

As each pokémon would finish its meal, Rose would toss her a freshly polished ball to keep it retained. Once in their pokéballs, the squirtles, charmanders and bulbasaurs were segregated into three huge boxes according to their species. Over three hundred polished pokéballs, three hundred fed pokémon and one wicked charmander later, the girls were just about finished.

Rose used a forearm to wipe the sweat off her brow. "That's all of them, right?" she asked with a tinge of relief in her voice, knowing her exhausted body wouldn't let her shine another pokéball.

"Yep, we got 'em all." Kairi sealed the jam-packed boxes and together the girls pushed them to very back of the room. It was 8:20 according to Kairi's wristwatch, which meant they had forty minutes to spare. That charmander had left her one little job to tidy up before she could sit back and relax though. Rose asked for a broom so she could sweep up the footprints they had made earlier.

"Good morning ladies!" A cheerful voice bellowed from the entrance.

_Easy for him to say,_ Kairi thought. Rose set aside the broom and rubbed her palms against her shirt, making extra sure the handshake she offered was free of sweat. "Morning, Professor Oak!"

He smiled back before taking her hand in a gentle shake. An obese, black bag, one that looked much like those that carried laptops except a lot larger, was cramped between his left arm and torso. If it wasn't for his luggage, he would've probably given her a hug instead. He still had one free hand though, one that ruffled through Rose's hair playfully. "Oh Rosy, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Uncle Gary? 'Professor' makes me sound so old, which I certainly don't seem like, right?"

As far as appearance was concerned, she couldn't say he was wrong. The clean shave and lack of wrinkles gave him the look of a man in his late twenties, although Rose knew he was really in his mid-thirties. Unlike most certified pokémon professors, his spiky, brown hair had yet to see the shade of grey. "Of course," she smiled, acting as if his nickname for her wasn't a bother.

He greeted his daughter with a soft peck on the forehead. An unsettling emotion picked at his gut when her blissful smile failed to find her lips. "What's wrong, honey?" His hands could sense the tension in her low shoulders.

A yawn she had been fighting back the entire morning finally escaped, somewhat relaxing her muscles and whisking away fragments of stress in its silent exhale. "It's nothing, daddy. We're just a little beat from working all morning." She yawned again without realising it.

"Maybe this will teach you not to leave things until the last minute. You could've had those pokéballs finished last night and the pokémon fed too." Gentle thumbs cleared tears from the corners of her tired eyes. "I can't afford for you to fall asleep on me now. Despite your mistakes, you've still managed to get the job done in time. I applaud you for that. Now take a well-deserved rest before the trainers start arriving."

That was exactly what she wanted to hear and do. "Thank you--" she started, before being interrupted by her own stomach's grumbles. Was it possible for someone to be so busy that they forgot they were hungry? And she was so sure the apple would last her until ten at least. Thoughtfully, her father just happened to have a few turkey sandwiches he had brought from home. He retrieved a relatively large lunchbox from one of the sections of his bag and placed it on a nearby desk, open to anybody who needed a fix.

"Rosy," he called her over. "Why don't you come here?"

"Thanks, but I'm not really hungry."

Gary suspected the real reason was that she was shy. Back in his day, he met quite a few teenage girls who were petrified of eating in front of guys. Something about table manners or something; he never really paid attention to that sort of stuff. "Well, don't stroll too far. I've still got one more job for you."

"Oh…" she said, her voice drained of enthusiasm. In that case, it wouldn't hurt to keep her strength up. She walked towards them and grabbed a sandwich from the lunchbox.

"I knew you were hungry!" The professor laughed to himself.

_//// Two Hours Later, Outside Pallet Town's Pokémon Lab… ////_

Job? It wasn't much of a job, Rose thought gladly to herself. Duties included sitting under the patio table's parasol, relaxing with her feet up and relishing in the sweetness of grape juice. When she called forth the next trainer, all she had to was take down their names, birthdays and pictures with a specialized digital camera. After their details were fed into the computer, it would generate a unique number and print it on a card with their passport sized photo and other relevant information. The card itself, sometimes called a 'trainer card', was really the official licence that every trainer needed to be legally regarded as a trainer.

The speaker on her desk came alive with crackling radio air. Professor Oak's voice informed her to send in the next trainer.

"Next!" she called out. There was a long snake of kids waiting for their chance. She would've been intimidated by the queue's length if the computer wasn't doing most of the work for her. "Name and birthday, please?" she enquired as the young boy approached the front of the desk.

"I already got one."

"Oh," she shifted her gaze from the computer screen to him. Indeed there was a trainer card tucked halfway inside his chest pocket. "Like, go on right ahead then." She turned to watch him as he did just that. There was definitely something different about the way this boy carried himself. She didn't know if she could say it was a good thing though. In fact, he looked like a troublemaker more than anything to her. "Good luck with him," she whispered blessings to Kairi and her father even though she was sure they couldn't hear her. She wrapped her lips around straw's tip, taking in more juice as she relaxed her feet back on the table.

Meanwhile, there was an eerie silence the second the boy stepped into the lab.

Gary raised an eyebrow questionably. The kid looked around Kairi's age yet wore clothes the professor wasn't sure he'd fit into himself. The large, white t-shirt hung below his waistline like a short dress, covering the rear-end that his loose jeans slacked on. His baggy, denim shorts sagged to levels passed his knees, which made Gary think they were two sizes too big. But Professor Oak realised it was deliberate when he noticed how he wore his cap; he wore it sideways, so its beak hovered above his left ear instead. _Heh, kids these days._

"Welcome to my lab, dear trainer." Professionalism filled his voice nonetheless. "I'm Professor Gary Oak and--"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I aint tryin' to hear all dat, dawg. Hook me up wit' my first pokémon so I can get dis trainin' thang going on, know what I'm sayin'?" If it wasn't for the sounds of him chewing bubblegum, silence would've dawned over them once more.

The only language Kairi hated more than science and this boy knew it like back of his jewellery infested hand. Still, she wasn't going to get more involved than she needed to. She just stood there with her hands behind her back, hoping her father would take care of him quickly so he can get back to whatever hip hop video he had jumped out of.

"…Alright then," Professor Oak said awkwardly, still trying to make sense of what the boy told him. Those golden-brown eyes of this seemed so familiar. The longer he gazed into them, the more he got interested, the more familiar they became…

"What the hell, you some kinda paedophile or somethin'? Stop staring at me like a damn fool, dawg, you startin' ta scare a brotha out over here. I dun swing that way either…" He stepped back cautiously. "Now I thought I could come to dis place and get my starter without havin' to deal wit' all this crap. Is this not a Pokémon Lab? Am I missin' something, dawg?"

The Professor fought back the urge to literally slap some sense into the kid. "You mean apart from manners and a belt?" Despite their differences, they both had one goal in common and that was to steer clear of each other as soon as possible. Thus, Gary led him to the table where he'd choose one of three pokéballs immediately. "Choose one of these starters, boy," he almost hissed. "What's your name anyway?"

"Sorry dawg, can't tell ya dat. My paps dun want me gettin' no advantages coz of my name and stuff."

"Whatever, just choose a pokémon and be on your way." His patience was growing dangerously thin. The boy had no respect for anything. Never had anybody in his life ever called him 'dawg'. It was so aggravating.

"Hrm," the young trainer thought, spinning the large, round pendant that hung from his neck. Calculating eyes considered the left most pokéball, then the centre one, then the pokéball at the right, then further to the right the pretty aide standing by the table. "Whoa! I'll take dis cute young thang right over here! Holla at me, playa!" His eyes gawked over her slim figure almost hungrily.

"…That's my daughter."

Complete silence. He didn't have the nerve to chew the bubblegum this time. Gary stood irritated, waiting to see how he'd respond; Kairi stood dumbfounded, not knowing how to respond while the self proclaimed player was putting as much thought as he could into a response.

"Just kidding, just kidding," he laughed nervously, realising he had just pushed it. "Gimme the grass pokémon and I-I'll be on my way."

"No you won't." Gary rolled up the long sleeves of his lab coat. "I'll tell you what you're going to do ... _dawg_. First of all, you're going to spit that gum out, take that ridiculous cap off and start speaking like a normal human being." As the professor went through the list, the young man obliged to each of his commands. "Secondly, I'm going to let my daughter humiliate you in a pokémon battle, son. Now, what's your name?"

"But dawg, sir. Sir, I shouldn't say--" One strong hand grabbed his shirt, and tugged him roughly even closer to the professor's fiery eyes. The annoyed man repeated his question. This time he wouldn't hesitate to answer. "Toa, sir. My-my name's Toa Ketchum."

_I knew it._ Gary chuckled, releasing his clutch on the kid. "Perfect. This is perfect. Honey," he kept his eyes on Toa even as he spoke to his daughter. "Why don't you teach our little visitor here how a real pokémon trainer conducts themselves?"

Kairi pulled her father down by the arm a little so she could whisper in his in ear. "One problem with that, daddy. I'm not exactly a _real trainer_ either, remember? I've never battled in my life!"

"Neither has he," he whispered back. "He's got a big mouth on him but I'm willing to bet he hasn't got the skills to back it up."

"Yeah but I haven't got any skills either!"

"Listen, Kairi. All my life, I've always felt second rate when I compared myself to Ash Ketchum. Sure, I beat him a couple of times. But whenever it came to the most important battles, like tournament bouts, he always used to find a way to defeat me. Him and that damn pikachu of his." He'd told his daughter about his relationship with Ash before but he never told her how much he really loathed him. "Somebody needs to shut this kid up. For once, I'd like to see a Ketchum bow down to us, Oaks. Go out there and make me proud, honey."

"Yeah but daddy, I--"

"Then it's settled!" Professor Oak said out loud, breaking the small huddle with Kairi. He pointed a finger at an indifferent Toa. "Get ready to get your butt kicked, Ketchum!" he exclaimed, sounding very much like his younger self.

Toa shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever, dawg."

**.: End of Chapter :.**


	3. Contemplations

Disclaimer: I don't own any parts of the Pokémon franchise. All copyrighted materials belong to their appropriate owners. This is a non-profitable story, written purely for entertainment.

Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone who's read and/or reviewed. Well, here's the final chapter to the story!

* * *

**The New Trainer**

_Fan Fiction by Wronaco (a.k.a Jay Stylust)_

* * *

  
Chapter 3 – Contemplations 

And so after being practically shoved onto the battlegrounds, a timid Kairi found herself moments away from her first attempt at pokémon battling. Subtle nerves quivered with slight hesitance while chilling waves of suspense overworked her mind. All at once with her uncertainty, she developed an impatience that was just as eager to see the experience come to an end. Blue eyes searched the boy across the room for similar flaws.

Whatever fears the opponent may have had were buried well within his indifferent exterior. She couldn't identify the hazy emotion looming in his coffee-brown eyes. It was either he was madly overconfident or truly didn't care at all; probably both if that was possible. A good trainer would exploit those weaknesses and if she was going to win, she'd have to start thinking like a good trainer.

The red and white pokéball expanded in his black, fingerless-gloved hand. Tossed lightly up into the air, it popped open at its short peak. A red stream of energy poured onto the tiled floor, swiftly taking shape of a conventional bulbasaur.

"Bulba!" It declared excitedly, chirpy eyes giggling with delight.

A brief smile snuck to Kairi's lips. Enemy or not, its cuteness couldn't be ignored. She wondered how much it agreed with the purpose of its summoning, or if it was even aware of why it had been called forth. Would it still be as thrilled? Pitting innocent creatures against each other was cruel in every sense she could think of.

As she struggled with the moral dilemma, Toa struggled to keep his patience under wraps. First this wacko professor forces him to engage in battle with his daughter, and then she further makes a mock of his time with these distasteful stalling techniques. "What's the hold up already? Me and my boy are ready to get dis this on!" he bellowed, speaking on behalf of his pokémon as well. "Aint got all day ya know!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Kairi called back, easily aggravated by his tone. For that brief moment, her disagreement with pokémon battles was replaced with a raw, gritty devotion, urging her to beat him at any costs, and hope that would forever sober his mouth, even if just a tad. Though motivational, it was a feeling too hostile for her to ever grow fond towards. It almost scared her how his mere words could infuriate her so. Calm again, the distraught girl looked to her father for re-assurance. He replied with a silent nod that groomed her confidence once more. She was ready.

Inexperience retained a foreboding grip on Kairi but not enough to hold her back any more. Not when her father was watching and her focus was at its strongest. She was prepared to do whatever victory required, trainer or not. Clutching on to that resolution, she released the pokémon she had chosen earlier with a mighty throw of the sphere.

Toa and his freshly acquired bulbasaur tensed in anticipation of the opponent materializing before them. It didn't surprise him that she chose a charmander; she would need all the advantages she could get after all.

As their trainers did, the pokémon assumed a tense glaring competition. Well, bulbasaur did anyway. The happy eyes on the charmander darted across every area of the lab, marvelling at the sights as an excited child would at an expensive toy store. Clearly it didn't understand the situation at present. To Toa, the lack of apathy only meant an easier battle for him. "What a sucka! C'mon, Bulbasaur, let's wrap this one up quickly! Use your --"

"Char!" But it wasn't a battle cry. Puzzling every witness, the baby dragon dashed forth to its opponent and placed its hands over the bulbasaur's cheeks. Charmander's unmoving stare bore into its baffled orbs. If Toa hadn't known better, he'd think it was prepping his pokémon for an intimate kiss. Neither trainer knew how to react. "Charmander! Char, char!" It squealed in delight as it begun shifting the grass-type's face into strange positions, playing with its features like they were made from clay.

Kairi sighed, recognizing the charmander immediately. It was the same little beast that had given her such a hard time with breakfast that morning. If Rose was there to witness it, no doubt she would've been laughing her cowboy hat off. "Charmander, s-stop!" Conviction poured into her voice as she hesitantly attempted to take control of the situation. "Use your Scratch attack!"

"Char?" The pokémon suddenly stopped at the sound of her voice. Bulbasaur's artificial smile faded as its adversary pulled its hands away from its mouth. Charmander saw an old playmate in Kairi. Emerald eyes lit up with up joy. "Charmander!" It dashed towards her.

"Ah!" Kairi screamed but refused to run away from the charging pokémon. Fleeing would only give it more power than it already had over her. "No, not me, Charmander! Get him! He's the bad guy!" Her pleads fell on deaf ears; or whatever it was charmanders used to hear as Kairi just realised she couldn't make out any ears on its round head. More heated matters were drawn to her attention. Quick feet danced around tiny embers her supposed comrade challenged her with. The flames were warm but much too young to catch on anything. Kairi had no intentions on finding out how flammable her shoes were however and continued to dodge the playful attempts. "Stop it!"

And it did, once it got tired, rolling on its back and having a good laugh at the panting Kairi.

"Bulba?"

"…I dunno." Toa scratched his jet-black hair as they watched from a distance.

Kairi felt a warm sensation rising on her cheeks. Being attacked by her own pokémon was even more embarrassing than losing to a single move like she feared she would've. Unsure of what her father was thinking on the sidelines, she chose to avoid eye contact with him all together. She plopped down on her knees and grabbed the chuckling charmander's shoulders tightly. "Hey!" she practically shouted right in its face. But it still wouldn't stop laughing, not until she gave it a violent tug. The cheerfulness in its eyes was promptly replaced with pain. She immediately regretted her actions.

"…I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to hurt you." She eased her grip on its shoulders a little. "But, you see those guys over there?" It turned its head to where she was pointing. "Yeah, that bulbasaur and his trainer **do** want to hurt you." Gentle fingers turned its gaze back to her sombre-filled cerulean eyes. "And unless you start listening to me I'm afraid they will do just that. Can't you see? I'm on your side here."

They stared at each other intensely for what seemed like hours. Just when Kairi felt confident she tamed the hyper pokémon, it spat a small flame next to her knee and chuckled at the fearful shriek she let out.

Kairi sighed, lowering her face. "Hopeless." She sighed again. "Great, not only am I going to lose to an annoying brat who couldn't pass a second grade grammar test but daddy's going to have to watch it all. He was so confident in my ability too…"

There was a short silence. Charmander took a good look at the bulbasaur and his trainer. Then, it glanced towards the back of the room and noticed the brown-haired man in a lab coat with his head down. It finally understood. "Char!" Kairi slowly brought her eyes back to meet the pokémon's. She squinted curiously, detecting something in its eyes she knew for sure wasn't there before. "Charmander!" It exclaimed again with as much of a smile its snout could make.

"Okay!" She wasn't certain what it was, but something told her she could trust the charmander. She held its petite hands in her own and pulled herself back to her feet quickly. Excitement had gotten the better of her, causing her to forget how little her comrade weighed. In her swift tug upwards, she had lifted the poor pokémon high off its feet and inadvertently released her grip at an inconvenient height in the air.

"Chaaaaaaaaaaaar!" It wailed as it flew across the room. The fall was broken by a small, open box, cushioning its head first landing. Chubby little legs wiggled about in the air helplessly. When Charmander finally tipped over and back onto its legs, it regrettably realised that the box was still stuck on its head.

Kairi couldn't help but giggle as the pokémon ran around blindly in circles. As she moved closer to pull the cardboard blindfold off, it stammered on its tiny legs directly into one of the lab's bookshelves. She covered her mouth, still a little amused although she probably shouldn't have been. Charmander was temporarily knocked down but at least the box had recoiled at the sudden collision. Drowsily, like a boxer trying to rise before a ten count, it shook its head as it lifted itself back to a vertical base. Once the grogginess was out of its system, it raised its hands in celebration.

"Char!" The announcement of its full recovery settled Kairi. She smiled.

"Tackle Attack, Bulbasaur!"

The order sounded quickly. The attack occurred almost instantly. Harsh pain suddenly exploded in Charmander's spine as a powerful shoulder bashed into it unexpectedly. Tumbling on its side like an endless roll of tissue, the offended was sent halfway across the cold tiles before coming to a merciful stop.

"No!" Kairi cried out. Amazingly, by the time she reached her pokémon's side, it had already risen back to its feet. The fire blazing in its eyes couldn't have been any hotter. At the command of its trainer, Charmander would make its opponent regret ever thinking about launching that cheap attack. It would've never predicted Kairi's plan action. "Stop the battle! You win! It's over!"

"Wha--?" Toa said, confused. If Charmander had a human vocabulary, it would've said the same thing. Bulbasaur stood ready for his opponent's counter attack but upon hearing Kairi rested his nerves. Secretly in the corner, Gary frowned at her decision too. It was evident to everyone that Charmander had more than enough in him left to continue the battle; everyone could see that, but Kairi.

"Are you okay?" She lifted the pokémon in a tight embrace. For someone who wasn't accustomed to seeing pokémon get hurt, a single tackle was enough punishment to throw in the towel. She believed she had saved the charmander from serious injury.

The dragon pokémon couldn't understand his trainer. He thought she wanted to win. Apparently, she was just as happy seeing him scar-free as she would've been seeing him triumph. He buried his snout in her shoulder, accepting her affection nevertheless.

Toa returned his pokémon with a frown on his face. The morning couldn't have gotten worse for him. He **had** wanted a quick battle but he expected to work hard for the victory. What a disappointment. For other trainers unfortunate to battle her in future, he decided he'd give her a little prep talk to boost her confidence. He drew closer to her as she returned the charmander to its pokéball.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Toa pulled his face closer to hers, sincerity spread across his features. They stared at each other silently, exchanging nothing but long glances. He could easily sense the curiosity in her blue orbs. She was probably wondering what he was up to.

Up close, without that slanted cap, and with his mouth shut, Kairi secretly admitted to herself that he didn't seem half bad. She was willing to bet all that would change once his lips started moving however.

"Look," he started, voice cleansed of his usual arrogance. For once she didn't feel like she'd be disappointed in hearing what he'd have to say. "I know you're only trying to care for your pokémon but every trainer has to learn what limits their partners can reach and should never quit before they reach those -- ARGH!" Perhaps his first time constructing a sentence without using slang was interrupted by a violent tug on his right ear.

The professor, misinterpreting Toa's intentions, and uncomfortable with how close he was to his daughter, felt best to drag the disrespectful boy painfully away. Without so much as pausing to hear what the kid had to say, Gary literally tossed him outside on the porch. "That's the last we see of him," he stated, relieved, as he walked back to Kairi.

Given all the nonsense Toa had done before, Kairi really couldn't blame her father for that decision. Whatever decent side Toa was about to show her, should've been presented a lot sooner.

Kairi gulped, watching as her father approached her. What was he going to say about the pokémon battle? In her defence, she had warned him that she was absolutely clueless when it came to training. Maybe he had a right to be disappointed but Kairi sincerely hoped he wasn't. She didn't promise to win and in all fairness, he shouldn't have expected her to. She bit her bottom lip as he drew ever so closely.

Then, he walked right passed her, not so much as crediting her with a glance. "Tell Rose she can send the next trainer in," he spoke with his back towards her as he began to shuffle papers on his desk.

This act was nothing new to Kairi. He could pretend it didn't bother him all he wanted; it wouldn't convince her. She looked him in the back. "Sorry, dad," she said in a shy voice. "It's not like I didn't give it a shot. I had no control over the first half of the battle and well, Charmander spent most of the second half under that box…" A stray giggle escaped her at the most inappropriate moment.

Gary whipped around so quickly a few sheets on the desk were lifted by the wind's momentum. "It's not funny, Kairi. Pokémon can get seriously hurt if you act negligent in battle." He didn't raise his voice but the overflowing sincerity was just as intimidating.

"I know," she argued softly. "That's why I ended it before it got out of hand."

"No, Kairi. What you did was quit."

"But I --"

One hand rose to silence her. "It doesn't matter. Bottom line's that you lost. Nothing can change the results now."

So all he cared about was results? Kairi began to question her perceptions on the type of trainer her father used to be. One thing remained clear: there was a lot more to his disappointment than her loss. The boy was a Ketchum. To her, the name posed no significance. Toa's person housed countless flaws but none of which could be correlated to him being a Ketchum. Why couldn't her father see that? The past would get him nowhere fast, and although she knew this, she lacked the audacity to bring it to his attention.

Gary pulled his daughter into a hug, resting his chin atop her head. "Don't worry about it, okay? Now go on and let Rose know she can let the next trainer in."

_//// Six Hours Later, Outside Pallet Town's Pokémon Lab… ////_

Early evening came over the small town of Pallet. Had it not been a Saturday, this was the time working citizens would've been returning from their jobs. Instead, the cosy suburb rested clear of bustling activity. In fact, in the last few minutes, Kairi couldn't remember spotting another person outside their home, apart from Rose sitting beside her beneath the tree. The comforting shade soothed the fatigue brought about by the now complete Trainer Day as they watched the crimson horizon settle into evening. It was a beautiful feeling Rose could only compare with the relief that washed over her after the last trainer left. Kairi had other things on her mind

Rose noticed the baseball cap resting on Kairi's knee. "Think we'll ever see him again?"

"Hrm… see who?" she asked, snapping out of the chain of thoughts. Her cousin pointed at the hat in her lap. "Oh, him. I don't know. I wouldn't count on running into him in Pallet any time soon. Not after the scare my father gave him."

The professor seemed way too humble to ever do anything like that. Rose couldn't imagine him frightening a thing. "I wish I could've seen that!" Kairi smiled. "Pity he forgot his cap in the lab. You think he'll like, come back for it?"

Kairi thought back to everything that took place in the lab. "Doubt it."

"Like maybe you should take it back to him," Rose tossed the suggestion playfully.

"…Take it back to him?" Kairi had never been out of Pallet Town by herself. How would she take care of herself? Where would she go? She didn't even know where Toa was headed to. "Nah. If it's that important to him he'll risk coming back for it." She twirled his possession with her fingers, eyeing its every angle curiously.

"I guess you're right, cuz."

There was a short silence. "Did you just call me _cuz?_"

Rose nodded, half surprised at it herself. The two made a laughing session out of the awkward moment.

_//// Later That Night, Kairi's bedroom… ////_

Circling thoughts kept Kairi's mind painfully conscious. The troubled girl stirred uncomfortably beneath the sheets, the next position no more helpful than the previous. She eventually found a solution flat on her back, arms folded behind her head for extra pillow support. Trying eyes blindly stared at the darkness of the ceiling.

Amongst the ideas forming a dense wall around the convenience of sleep, was that of her father's disappointment. Defeating Toa in a rematch would be certain to remedy that problem. Simple, she'd just ask him to battle her again as a favour after she returned his cap to him. "Who am I kidding?" She mumbled to the overhead poster of a young Misty Waterflower. There was no guarantee that she could beat Toa in a rematch. Another loss would only add to her father's distress. Was it really worth risking it? She just wasn't born to be a pokémon trainer.

But maybe that wasn't something a person inherited at birth. And even if it was, people changed. She could change to become a trainer. "…Rose changed. Why can't I?" Kairi decided she'd stop questioning her cousin's new persona and trust her whole-heartedly until such a time she proved she didn't deserve it.

At the end of the day, there was really only one thing Kairi needed to be sure of. Whatever decision she was to make, she'd do it for herself. If she chose to go on a search to return Toa's hat, it wouldn't be because she owed him anything. She wanted nothing from him in return, apart from a rematch perhaps. Kairi buried her face into the pillow. "Who am I kidding?" Her nose nuzzled into the soft fabric. "I wouldn't last a day out on my own." People were meant to help pokémon in different ways. Some perhaps through training and others like her, by being dedicated aides and possibly, in the future, become pokémon researchers.

"But what do I really want…?"

Round and round she went, contemplating and arguing with herself until sleep inevitably put her battered mind to rest. After what seemed like a short while, an upbeat melody began to ring in her ears. Fatigue felt heavy on her eyelids. She groaned, shifting for a better position. Even if she could find one, that annoying ruckus would restrain her from returning to dreamless sleep. Irritated, she tossed the sheets aside and lifted herself to a sitting position.

"Huh?" Her eyes were barely open but she could still make out the time on the alarm clock. It then dawned on her that that infuriating sound was really familiar. It was her alarm. "Wow," she yawned. For the first time since she could remember, she actually had to be awoken by the morning tune. She got out of bed and turned the clock off. Yawning her way towards the window, she pulled the curtains askew to a very bright Pallet Town, vibrant with cheerful kids and chirping pidgey.

"…So much for being a morning person," she teased herself. As she was stretching her arms awake, the reflections that kept her up a good deal the previous night returned to her attention. Her gaze moved from the window to her drawers. Thoughtful eyes considered the baseball cap hung on the corner of an open closet's door.

"Hrm…."

**.: The End :.**

* * *

  
Author's Note: How's that for my first fic? Possible sequels? Not for the time being. Feel free to review.

'Til next time folks, later.


End file.
